Back in the Saddle

The opening lyrics of Gene Autry’s signature song are, “I’m back in the saddle again….”

Some university faculty after they retire maintain offices on campus, teach classes, continue their research and professional affiliations, and/or consult. As good as academic life was to me, I chose to leave it behind for the most part upon retiring. My association with Penn State since 2011 has been mainly through the Humphrey Fellows Program – over the last two years Sue and I have served as community hosts for fellows. Okay. Sue swims at the Natatorium, I ride my bike around the stadium, we attend performances and sports events, and periodically we go to Whiskers in the Nittany Lion Inn for a bite. It’s hard to avoid these interactions given Penn State is the largest employer in the county (as well as all of central PA) and we live three blocks off campus. That notwithstanding, I got back in the saddle yesterday for a short period in the afternoon; I did a seminar for a group of Humphrey Fellows interested in quality assurance in distance education. The seven I met with had expressed an interest in distance/online education, among other areas. I very much enjoyed our interactions and agreed to arrange a hands-on tour of a World Campus course in the near future. But at my age, retirement has no equal. (For related information, please see my 5/31/18 and 8/21/18 Blog entries.)

From left to right in the photo are: Dr. Kouame Oussou from Ivory Coast, Ms. Bijana Birac from Croatia, Ms. Gordana Vlahovic from Serbia, Dr. Ruslana Kuzina from Ukraine, me, Dr. Gulnora Bogdalova from Uzbekistan, Dr. Anjusha Durbarry from Mauritius, and Mr. Kevin Zhaci from Tibet Autonomous Region, China.